Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Resettlement: Hong Kong

Sir Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the implications for the Hong Kong BNO integration programme of reports that the leadership of the Wai Yin Society is linked to the Chinese Communist Party.

Rachel Maclean: We continually assess potential threats in the UK, and take protection of individuals' rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK very seriously. Any attempt by any foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK via third parties will not be tolerated. I would be happy to discuss this further with my Rt. Hon. Friend.

Local Government: Tower Hamlets

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure good governance in London Borough of Tower Hamlets since May 2022; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the recent decision by the Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets Council to enable decision-making on grants to voluntary sector organisations to be undertaken in private.

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to require Tower Hamlets Council to publish the report on Mazars investigation into allegations of misconduct in the authority's Youth Service in the period up to 2016.

Rachel Maclean: The Government is committed to ensuring the good record of transparency, probity, scrutiny, and accountability is maintained across councils in this country.The Government expects a well-functioning local authority to act transparently in carrying out its functions. Local authorities must comply with the statutory Best Value Duty to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement, having regard to efficiency, economy and effectiveness. Local authorities are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000, meaning members of the public are entitled to request information from them.On 4 July, the Government published draft statutory guidance on Best Value Standards and Intervention for consultation. The guidance provides greater clarity to the local government sector on how to fulfil the Best Value Duty by describing what constitutes best value, the standards expected by the department and the models of intervention at the Secretary of State's disposal in the event of failure to uphold these standards.

Housing: Construction

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the press release entitled Supply of accessible homes to receive vital boost, published on 29 July 2022, what recent progress his Department has made on raising the minimum accessibility standard for new homes; and what his planned timetable is for the implementation of this standard.

Rachel Maclean: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN HL8422 on 26 June 2023.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Afghanistan: Poisoning

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has with (a) international partners and (b) the UN on recent reports of cases of schoolgirls in Afghanistan being poisoned and hospitalised.

David Rutley: FCDO officials regularly press the Taliban on all human rights issues, including the rights of women and girls. Reports of poisonings of schoolgirls in Afghanistan are very worrying. We are working closely with our mission in Doha, international partners, NGOs and the UN to continue to monitor the reports. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, Minister for South Asia, has made clear that it is essential that all girls can exercise their human right to education without fear.

Afghanistan: Women's Rights

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.

David Rutley: The Government are working with international partners, including the G7, G20 and through the UN, to advocate for the rights of women and girls and to coordinate an international response. We have repeatedly condemned the Taliban's decisions to restrict the rights of women and girls, including through UN Security Council, Human Rights Council resolutions and public statements.We continue to support the delivery of education, through bilateral and multilateral contributions. On 27 June, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, Minister for South Asia hosted a meeting of Afghan women leaders to discuss the impact of the Taliban's restrictions on Afghan women as well as the inclusion of Afghan women in the future political process.

Hezbollah

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of reports that Hezbollah has established military outposts in the Shebaa Farms Mount Dov region.

David Rutley: We are actively monitoring reports of a tent being placed south of the Blue Line border by Hezbollah in the Shebaa Farms area. We have discussed this issue with both Lebanon and Israel. We encourage all parties to engage with the relevant UN authorities to find a diplomatic solution to removing the tent and avoid escalation. As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, we support the stability and security of Lebanon and Israel through our contribution to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The UK remains concerned by Hezbollah's activities within Lebanon which are in clear breach of UN Security Council Resolutions 1509 and 1701.

World Bank: Agriculture

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the agricultural investment policies of the World Bank on trends in the level of global (a) poverty and (b) food security.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the World Bank’s support for sustainable agricultural production in low-income countries.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The World Bank has helped protect farmers, local production, and food security in developing countries. Its agricultural investment policies have helped to boost food and nutrition security and support vulnerable households, from increasing market access for smallholder farmers, to investing in green fertiliser production and supporting the adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices. The UK supports the World Bank's goals and we are holding the Bank to account through the Board. We are complementing, in support of developing countries, a transition to sustainable agriculture production through UK aid programmes like the Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness programme and by contributing to multi-donor and multilateral funds such as the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme. Together with the World Bank, the UK also convenes a Policy Dialogue on Accelerating Transition to Sustainable Agriculture through redirecting public policies and support and scaling innovation.

Bahrain: Prisoners

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of prisoners in Bahrain on death row; whether his Bahraini counterpart has responded to British representations about Mohamed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for taking Bahrain off the list of human rights priority countries.

David Rutley: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office continues to follow and discuss both the use of the death penalty and the cases referenced with the Government of Bahrain, as well as with Bahrain's oversight bodies. The UK's position on the use of the death penalty is longstanding and clear; we oppose its use in all circumstances and countries. The decision to remove Bahrain from the Human Rights Priority Country list reflects consistent and systemic progress in a range of human rights areas over a number of years, some of which have been directly supported by the UK. The UK remains committed to supporting reforms in Bahrain and encouraging the government to meet its human rights commitments.

Bahrain: Human Rights

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Human Rights and Democracy: The 2022 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Report, published in July 2023, CP 886, when the government of Bahrain was first informed about the decision to remove that country from the list of Human Rights Priority Countries.

David Rutley: As a courtesy, we informed the Government of Bahrain in the days before the Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report was published. The Report, which details the situation in Human Rights Priority Countries, is retrospective and covers activity during the previous calendar year (2022). The decision to remove Bahrain from the list reflects consistent and systemic progress in a range of human rights areas over a number of years. The UK remains committed to supporting reforms in Bahrain and encouraging the government to meet its human rights commitments.

Ukraine: Cereals and Fertilisers

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support his Department is providing to Ukraine in the context of Russia’s decision not to renew the agreement that allowed Ukraine to transport grain and fertiliser through the Black Sea.

David Rutley: The UK condemns in the strongest terms Russia's decision to withdraw from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the Foreign Secretary has called on Russia to rejoin immediately. Along with G7 partners, we have supported increased exports of grain from Ukraine through European land routes. The UK provided £10 million to bolster the Ukrainian railway system and provide greater resilience to facilitate the exports of grain by land. The UK will continue to work with Ukraine, and other partners, on options for Ukraine to continue exporting grain.

Bangladesh: Elections

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his US counterpart on their decision to restrict visas to Bangladeshi citizens who undermine democratic election processes in Bangladesh.

David Rutley: We are aware of the decision of the US to restrict the issuance of visas for any Bangladeshi individual believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh. We share the desire for free, fair and participatory elections. All UK visa applications are considered on their individual merits, and in line with UK immigration rules and guidance.

Bangladesh: Elections

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Bangladesh on (a) transparency and (b) accountability ahead of that country's elections in 2024.

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the adequacy of the preparations to ensure the (a) accountability, (b) transparency and (c) fairness of the forthcoming general election in Bangladesh; and if he will make a statement.

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in Bangladesh on allowing international election observers to observe the forthcoming general election.

David Rutley: The UK is a strong supporter of plural, contested and transparent elections in Bangladesh, with free and fair process to support accountability. We regularly raise with the Government of Bangladesh, in public and private, the need to take meaningful steps to ensure a transparent and accountable electoral process in 2024. The Foreign Secretary met Prime Minister Hasina in May, and raised the importance of free, fair and participatory elections, and the need for inter-party dialogue. In June, Minister Trevelyan met with Bangladesh State Minister Alam and reiterated the need for ensuring the elections were transparent and accountable. We welcome Bangladesh's commitment to international election observation. Under the FCDO's five-year £23 million governance programme we have been identifying pre-election interventions including the potential for funding local elections observation. The UK will continue to engage with the Government of Bangladesh to support efforts towards a stable, prosperous and democratic Bangladesh.

Palestinians: Health Services

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in Israel on damage to (a) a UN Relief and Works Agency health clinic in Jenin and (b) other healthcare facilities.

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the report by the regional office for the Eastern Mediterranean of the World Health Organisation entitled Increasing attacks on health care and health worker testimony, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Palestine Red Crescent Society providing bullet-proof vests, helmets and tear-gas masks to its teams following alleged incidents of direct targeting of health workers by Israeli forces.

David Rutley: The work of healthcare workers across the globe is vital and they must be protected when carrying out their critical work. During his call on 4 July with the Israeli chargé d'affaires in London, the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, urged Israel to safeguard access to healthcare and take proactive steps to guarantee the safety of civilians during Israeli operations in the West Bank. When the Foreign Secretary spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on July 5, he raised the UK's concerns about attacks on civilian infrastructure during their recent operation in Jenin.

Department for Education

Private Education: Fees and Charges

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her oral Answer to the Question from the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South on 17 July 2023, Official Report, column 614, on what evidential basis she said that many private schools cost the same as a family holiday abroad.

Nick Gibb: Many private schools are attended by middle income families who make financial choices to do so.The Independent Schools Council (ISC) has confirmed there are around 50 private schools that charge £1,500 or less per term. Research from the travel company Expedia suggests that families spend an average of £4,800 on family holidays each year.

Department for Education: Finance

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's total underspend was in each financial year since 2019-20.

Nick Gibb: The Department’s expenditure is published each year in the Annual Report and Accounts and is available on GOV.UK.

Teachers: Pay

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which underspends in her Department's budget will be used to fund the school teacher pay award.

Nick Gibb: The Government has accepted the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) recommendations for 2023/24 Teacher Pay Awards in full. This means that teachers and head teachers in maintained schools will receive an increase of at least 6.5%, the highest STRB award in three decades. The Department will be providing an additional £525 million of funding in the 2023/24 financial year, and £900 million in 2024/25, and as the unions have agreed, this means that the award is properly funded. Although the Department will have to make difficult decisions, all frontline services will be protected. Funding for early years, SEND, school conditions and core school and college budgets are fully protected. To help fund the pay award, the Secretary of State has secured exceptional permission from the Treasury to keep money where there have been or will be underspends, which in normal years would have to be returned to Treasury.

Schools: Transport

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an estimate of the cost to schools transport to and from temporary school buildings.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in England are currently operating in temporary buildings.

Nick Gibb: The safety of pupils and staff is vital. It is the responsibility of those who run schools, including Academy Trusts, Local Authorities and Voluntary Aided School Bodies, to manage the maintenance of their schools and alert the Department if there is a concern with a building. Local Authorities and Academy Trusts do not need to report to the Department if they are operating from temporary buildings, but the Department provides support on a case by case basis as necessary. This includes when schools have closed part or all of the site for a period of time. In most cases this is for a number of days as opposed to a longer closure. The number of schools this has applied to is changing regularly with ongoing activity to mitigate the effect, including minimising any short term influence on education. Where the Department is aware of the use of temporary buildings it works with responsible bodies to understand the effect of this, including costs. The Department uses temporary buildings on school sites for short periods of time in centrally delivered school building programmes, and this is planned carefully to ensure disruption to education is minimised. The Department provides support to schools and responsible bodies and has allocated over £15 billion since 2015 to keep schools safe and operational. This includes £1.8 billion committed this financial year, informed by consistent data on the school estate. In addition, the Department’s School Rebuilding Programme will transform 500 schools over the next decade, prioritising schools in poor condition.

Teachers: Pay Settlements

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how the pay deal for teachers will be funded.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the oral contribution by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury of 13 July 2023, Official Report, column 526, which budget lines within the Department for Education's existing budget are being reprioritised to deliver the additional funding to increase teachers' pay by 6.5%.

Nick Gibb: The Government has accepted the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) recommendations for 2023/24 teacher pay awards in full. This means that teachers and head teachers in maintained schools will receive an increase of at least 6.5%, the highest STRB award in three decades. The Department will be providing an additional £525 million of funding in the 2023/24 financial year, and £900 million in 2024/25, and as the unions have agreed, this means that the award is properly funded.Although the Department will have to make difficult decisions, the Secretary of State has been clear all frontline services will be protected. Funding for early years, SEND, school conditions and core school and college budgets are fully protected. To help fund the pay award, the Secretary of State has also secured exceptional permission from the Treasury to keep money where there have been or will be underspends, which in normal years would have to be returned to Treasury.The additional funding announced alongside the teachers’ pay award fully covers the cost of the pay award above 3.5%, nationally. The Department’s affordability calculation says that a 4% pay award should be affordable for the average school, and the Department is more than covering that calculation.

Pupils: Attendance

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been allocated to each priority education investment area to improve school attendance.

Nick Gibb: Funding for the 24 Priority Education Investment Areas (PEIAs) has been agreed and announced. Details have been published and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-investment-areas/local-needs-fund.The Local Needs Fund is providing up to £42 million in PEIAs to fund bespoke interventions to improve attainment at Key Stages 2 and 4. Where poor attendance has been identified as a key factor in an area, initiatives will be funded to address this. Because the mix of initiatives funded in each area reflects local need, the funding allocated to attendance projects will vary. Some projects have begun, and the remainder will commence during the rest of the calendar year. The Department will publish further details of the funding allocations for different initiatives once all the necessary grant agreements are in place.Alongside area initiatives funded through the Local Needs Fund, PEIAs are also benefitting from the Department’s wider strategy for improving attendance. The Department has published guidance setting out how it expects schools, trusts, and Local Authorities to work together to improve attendance. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance.The Department has employed expert attendance advisers who are playing an important role, working closely with Local Authorities and some multi academy trusts with higher levels of persistent absence to review their current practice and support them to develop plans to improve. Every Local Authority in a PEIA has been prioritised for this support.Earlier this academic year, the Department launched a £2.32 million attendance mentoring pilot to deliver intensive one to one support to a group of persistently and severely absent pupils. The pilot will run for three years and will support a total of 1,665 pupils in five PEIAs (Middlesbrough, Knowsley, Doncaster, Stoke-on-Trent and Salford) with significant absence challenges. The findings from this pilot should enable schools, trusts, and Local Authorities to address persistent and severe absence more effectively.The Department has also established an alliance of national leaders from education, children’s social care and other relevant services to work together to raise school attendance and reduce persistent absence. Several PEIAs are piloting similar local alliances to share best practice and address specific area wide challenges.

School Day: Teachers

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information she holds on the number and proportion of (a) mainstream and (b) special schools that have reduced teaching hours due to staff shortages in the last 12 months.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve staffing levels at special schools.

Nick Gibb: Recent data shows there are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state funded schools in England, an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest number of FTE teachers on record since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.In November 2022 there were 27,140 FTE teachers and 86,410 FTE total workforce in 1,358 special schools and pupil referral units (PRUs). This is an increase from 20,617 FTE teachers and 64,171 FTE total workforce in 1,336 special schools/PRUs in 2013, the earliest comparable data.The Department does not hold data on the number and proportion of mainstream or special schools that have reduced teaching hours due to staff shortages in the last 12 months. The Department continues to take action to increase teacher recruitment in all school types and to ensure teachers across England stay and succeed in the profession.The Department has accepted the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and headteachers in full. This means that teachers and headteachers in maintained schools will receive a pay award of 6.5%, the highest STRB award in three decades. This award also delivers the manifesto commitment of a minimum £30,000 starting salary for teachers in all regions of the country, with a pay award of up to 7.1% for new teachers outside London.The school teachers’ pay and conditions document for 2022 sets out that an additional Special Educational Needs (SEN) allowance must be paid to teachers in a SEN post that requires a mandatory SEN qualification and involves teaching pupils with SEN. The document is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1110990/2022_STPCD.pdf. It is for schools to determine the specific amount, but this must be between £2,384 and £4,703 per annum. Following the 2023/24 pay award, this is due to increase by 6.5%, subject to statutory consultation.The Department announced a financial incentives package worth up to £181 million for those starting Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in the 2023/24 academic year.The Department provides a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 annually for mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools nationally, including within Education Investment Areas. The eligibility criteria and list of eligible schools are available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers.The Department has created an entitlement to at least three years of structured training, support and professional development for all new teachers, underpinned by the ITT Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework. Together, these ensure that new teachers will benefit from at least three years of evidence based training, across ITT and into their induction.In May 2023, the Department published guidance for accredited ITT providers and their partners, to support the involvement of special schools and alternative provision in ITT. The guidance is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1157879/ITT_-_special_schools_and_alternative_provision_May_2023.pdf#:~:text=It%20has%20been%20produced%20to%20help%20accredited%20Initial,units%2C%20and%20mainstream%20schools%20with%20SEN%20resource%20units.Additionally, to support retention in the sector, the Department has worked with the education sector and published a range of resources to help address staff workload and wellbeing, and support schools to introduce flexible working practices. This includes the workload reduction toolkit, available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-workload-reduction-toolkit and the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter. More than 2,700 schools have signed up to the Charter so far.

Special Educational Needs

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Levelling up Housing and Communities on the improving the speed of Local Authorities producing Educational, Health and Care plans.

Claire Coutinho: The Department for Education has met with the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) at ministerial level to discuss all aspects of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) policy, including Education Health and Care (EHC) plan reform. The department is acting to improve the SEND and AP system and works closely with our counterparts in DLUHC and other government departments on this as necessary.In the SEND and AP Improvement Plan, published in March 2023, the department set out plans to reform the EHC plan system.The SEND and AP reforms seek to make best practice common practice in how EHC plans are delivered. They include establishing a single EHC plan form and supporting processes across England, including developing digital requirements for EHC plan systems to improve consistency and access to information. The department will also test the use of multi-agency panels to enable local authorities to make judgements based on a holistic view of the needs of the child or young person across education, health and care when deciding whether to issue an EHC plan. We are already engaging with children, young people, families, and practitioners to develop this work.The department wants to ensure that EHC plans, where required, are issued as quickly as possible, so that the child or young person can access the support they need. In 2022 (the latest figures available), there were 114,457 requests for an EHC plan. 66,244 new EHC plans were issued, the highest number since they were introduced. 49.1% were issued within 20 weeks.The department recognises the vital role local authority staff play in supporting families in the SEND and EHC plan system. We will consider the skills and training these staff require and, when consulting on amending the SEND Code of Practice, will propose new guidance on delivering a responsive and supportive casework service.Where a council does not meet its duties, we do not hesitate to take action that prioritises children’s needs and brings about rapid improvement.

Alternative Education: Expenditure

Mrs Flick Drummond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the annual cost to the public purse of commissioning unregistered alternative provision places through all referral routes.

Claire Coutinho: The department does not hold any information about the annual cost of commissioning unregistered alternative provision places. These commissioning arrangements are managed directly by schools and local authorities who require the provision, and they do not report their expenditure at that level of detail.

STEM Subjects: Women

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding for women and girls from lower advantaged backgrounds to study STEM subjects.

Nick Gibb: The Department is committed to ensuring that anyone, regardless of their background or where they live, can pursue an education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. The Department funds a number of diversity and inclusion programmes to increase women and girls’ participation in STEM courses and careers.In schools, girls’ participation in STEM is already increasing. Girls made up 44% of all STEM entries at A level in 2022 and 51% of all science entries at A level in 2022. Since 2010, there has been a 35% increase in the number of STEM A level entries from girls in England.[1] The Department is boosting the take up of STEM subjects by delivering the Prime Minister’s ambition of ensuring all pupils in England study mathematics to 18.The Department funds a number of programmes to inspire pupils, including girls, to take STEM subjects and support their engagement. This includes tailored mathematics support for students and teachers through the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme and an Inclusion in Schools project to increase the uptake of A level physics from pupils in underrepresented groups, including girls.The Department’s programmes also include £100 million for the National Centre for Computing Education to increase participation in computer science at GCSE and A level, including funding for research on gender balance in computing, the results of which will inform a gender insights programme to support schools’ awareness of barriers to girls’ engagement with computing and help them improve take up of computer science qualifications. Other programmes include a national research trial on improving gender balance for physics, the results of which will be published in 2024, and the STEM Ambassadors programme, which inspires young people from underrepresented backgrounds to engage with STEM subjects. Approximately 45% of ambassadors are women and 15% are from minority ethnic backgrounds, providing young people with a variety of role models.The Department aims to maximise opportunities for participation in STEM at every level of education. STEM apprenticeship starts by women and girls continue to increase year on year, with 14,110 starts in 2021/22, up 23.3% from 2020/21 (11,440 starts).   The Department supports women and girls’ participation in STEM apprenticeships through the Apprenticeships Diversity Champions Network. The Department is also establishing a network of 21 Institutes of Technology (IoTs) to help close skills gaps in STEM sectors. One aim of IoTs is increasing participation from underrepresented groups at the local level.The Department is working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on new postgraduate Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data science conversion courses to boost skills and diversity in AI jobs. In the programme’s first year, 76% of scholarships were awarded to women, 45% to black students, and 24% to students with disabilities. 2,000 additional scholarships are available to be delivered between 2023 and 2025.[1] House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee (2023), Diversity and inclusion in STEM: Government Response to the Committee’s Fifth Report, p. 8: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/135/science-innovation-and-technology-committee/publications/.

Department for Business and Trade

Trade Agreements

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many staff in her Department worked in the trade negotiations group as of 18 July 2023.

Nigel Huddleston: As of 30/06/23 the Department for Business and Trade (ex-DIT only) had 527 members of staff working on free trade negotiations. Due to the recent Machinery of Government changes, this figure does not include staff from the former Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) who have transferred to the Department of Business and Trade. In addition, our headcount figures are updated monthly, and therefore the most recent headcount figure is accurate as of 30/06/23.

Lord Mayor of London: Ambassadors for British Business

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many staff in her Department work on the Lord Mayor of London's Overseas Engagement Programme.

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the cost to the public purse was of her Department's work on the Lord Mayor of London’s Overseas Engagement Programme in each year since 2010.

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether any officials in her Department have worked with the City of London Corporation on its overseas activities in the last three years.

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether (a) the Secretary of State, (b) Ministers in her Department and (c) officials in her Department have participated in foreign visits as part of the City of London Overseas Engagement Programme in the period since 2010.

Nigel Huddleston: My department does not have a team or individual dedicated to supporting the Lord Mayor of London’s overseas engagement programme. Officials from my department have provided support to individual elements of the Lord Mayor’s programme where it delivers the Government’s trade and investment objectives. On each occasion support will have been provided by DBT teams in the relevant Embassy or Consulate as a small proportion of individuals’ overall activity. We do not capture data on time or cost at that level of detail.No Secretary of State or Ministers in DBT or DIT participated in foreign visits as part of the Lord Mayor’s overseas engagement programme in the last 3 years for which we have records. Officials will have participated as described above.

Productivity

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she plans to take to help improve business productivity levels in the next twelve months.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government is working to improve business productivity in various ways. These include: Help to Grow: Management scheme offers training to help small businesses across the UK improve their performance and boost growth potential. The British Business Bank supports access to finance, and business helplines across the UK provide advice and guidance. Our network of Growth Hubs around England, and devolved equivalents, offer businesses support in their local areas. Our export growth support includes our Great.gov.uk online offer, the Export Academy, our International Trade Advisers and International Market advisers, as well as access to finance via UK Export Finance.

Eggs: Trade Agreements

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential financial impact of the UKs accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership on the domestic hen egg industry.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department held consultations with the (a) poultry and (b) egg industry before the UK's accession Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Nigel Huddleston: Global trade flows on shell eggs are minimal given difficulties in transporting over long distances and exports of egg products are not significant within the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) membership. The UK did not import any eggs from CPTPP Parties in 2022. We will retain tariffs on eggs and egg products until year 10 of the agreement. For Australia, eggs will remain subject to Most Favoured Nation tariff rates. The British Poultry Council was included in the department’s Trade Advisory Group on agri-food, which met regularly. The British Egg Industry Council was included in a CPTPP roundtable with agricultural stakeholders. The consultation exercises run by the UK Government for CPTPP received almost 150,000 responses, and we published our response to these in 2021.

Smart Devices: China

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department is taking steps to monitor the potential threat posed by Chinese-made cellular internet of things modules on business infrastructure.

Nigel Huddleston: The UK takes its national security extremely seriously and has taken robust action to secure its critical infrastructure and resilience.The National Security and Investment Act allows the Government to intervene where foreign direct investment is targeted at innovative UK companies. Where such investment is within critical sectors, it is mandatory to notify Government and this is subject to thorough assessment by the national security community.The Procurement Bill will also provide powers for the Government to exclude and debar companies from public procurement where the Government assesses there to be an intolerable national security risk.Additionally, the Government has taken specific action on Chinese-made devices on the Government estate. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster published a Written Ministerial Statement in November 2022 detailing instructions for departments to disconnect such surveillance equipment from core departmental networks, where it had been produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of China.Government departments have been implementing these policies along with other protective security controls and will not hesitate to take further action if necessary. The Government keeps the security issues associated with internet facing technology components under close review as part of our overall approach to security, and in line with GSG, NPSA and NCSC guidance.

Smart Devices: China

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if his Department will make an assessment of the (a) prevalence of the use and (b) reliance on the supply of Chinese-made cellular internet of things modules in business infrastructure.

Nigel Huddleston: The UK takes its national security extremely seriously and has taken robust action to secure its critical infrastructure and resilience.The National Security and Investment Act allows the Government to intervene where foreign direct investment is targeted at innovative UK companies. Where such investment is within critical sectors, it is mandatory to notify Government and this is subject to thorough assessment by the national security community.The Procurement Bill will also provide powers for the Government to exclude and debar companies from public procurement where the Government assesses there to be an intolerable national security risk.Additionally, the Government has taken specific action on Chinese-made devices on the Government estate. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster published a Written Ministerial Statement in November 2022 detailing instructions for departments to disconnect such surveillance equipment from core departmental networks, where it had been produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of China.Government departments have been implementing these policies along with other protective security controls and will not hesitate to take further action if necessary. The Government keeps the security issues associated with internet facing technology components under close review as part of our overall approach to security, and in line with GSG, NPSA and NCSC guidance.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Environment Agency: Finance

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the budget of the Environment Agency.

Rebecca Pow: Environment Agency (EA) funding is closely monitored to ensure that the EA can carry out its duties and functions effectively. In the current Spending Review period (SR21) the Environment Agency’s environment RDEL (Resource) grant for 2022/23 increased to £96 million from £56 million in 2020/21. This is due to the addition of new money ring-fenced for specific activities, notably more EA inspections of farms - 4,000 per annum - and sewage treatment works - 500 per annum.

Home Office

Asylum

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of implementing trauma-informed training specific to the experiences of asylum-seekers and refugees for staff in the public sector.

Robert Jenrick: In April 2021 a £1m spending review allocation was obtained to support the mental health and wellbeing of adult asylum seekers.In September 2022 we contracted an external organisation of clinical psychologists, experienced in co-developing evidence-based mental health and wellbeing strategies, to explore how Trauma Informed Practice (TIP) could be embedded into asylum processes from first point of contact to asylum decision undertaken by the Home Office, whilst optimising outcomes of the process.We prioritised far-reaching collaboration to shape recommendations. Intrinsic to this was operationalising governance structures involving internal stakeholders, health bodies, the UNHCR, Devolved Administrations, NGOs and people with lived experience of claiming asylum. We facilitated open discussion and generated informed contributions by sharing relevant information at every stage of the process with our partner group giving stakeholders opportunity to scrutinise, co-create and legitimise recommendations demonstrating objectivity and flexibility to reshape and re-frame their work in response to asylum policy changes.This review and design phase was completed in March 2023. In April 2023 we launched the next phase of the programme, this work will continue until March 2025.

Overseas Students: Visas

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2023 to Question 193678, what advice her Department provides to students living in the UK on a student visa and who need to apply for a new student visa without departing the UK because the award for their current course has been deferred as a result of the University and College Union marking and assessment boycott.

Robert Jenrick: Students and sponsors should refer to paragraph 5.32 onwards of the sponsorship duties guidance. Where a formal award has not yet been issued, a student on a course at degree level or above at a sponsor which is a Higher Education Provider with a track record of compliance, can request formal written confirmation from their sponsor stating that they are highly likely to complete their course successfully.The Department for Education will continue to engage with the HE sector over the coming weeks to help better understand the boycott’s impact on students and the mitigating actions HE institutions are taking to protect their students’ interests.

Electronic Travel Authorisations: Impact Assessments

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 31 May 2023 to Question 186271 on Electronic Travel Authorisations: Impact Assessments, when she plans to publish the Economic Impact Assessment for the introduction of the Electronic Travel Authorisation now that the fee has been set.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office published the Economic Impact Assessment for the introduction of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme on 6 June 2023.The Impact Assessment can be accessed here: Electronic Travel Authorisation: impact assessment (accessible) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Cabinet Office

Crown Commercial Service: Contracts

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the contract awarded by the Crown Commercial Service to Bramble Hub Ltd on 23 March (procurement reference CCZZ23A03), if he will publish the list of agreed requirements to be delivered by the contractor as set out in Call-Off Schedule 20 of that contract.

Alex Burghart: The statement of requirements is publicly available on Contracts Finder and can be found at the following link: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/22ac15f8-2d01-4531-b3f1-13b7c8f295df?origin=SearchResults&p=1

List of Ministerial Responsibilities

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he next plans to update the List of Ministerial responsibilities.

Alex Burghart: I refer the Hon Member to HL8961. As set out previously, the Government committed to publishing the List of Ministerial Responsibilities before the Summer Recess. This was deposited in the House on Thursday 20th July 2023, and has been published on Gov.uk.

China

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department co-ordinates a cross-Government strategy on China; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Quin: As the Honourable Gentleman will be aware, the Cabinet Office is responsible for coordinating cross-Government strategy across a range of issues including China. The Integrated Review Refresh sets out the Government’s approach to our security, defence, and foreign policy priorities. It remains the case that we do not publish National Security strategies on China or other issues.

Smart Devices: China

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department is taking steps to monitor the potential threat posed by Chinese-made cellular internet of things modules on national security infrastructure.

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if his Department will make an assessment of the (a) prevalence of the use and (b) reliance on the supply of Chinese-made cellular internet of things modules in national security infrastructure.

Jeremy Quin: The UK takes its national security extremely seriously and has taken robust action to secure its critical infrastructure and resilience.The National Security and Investment Act allows the Government to intervene where foreign direct investment is targeted at innovative UK companies. Where such investment is within critical sectors, it is mandatory to notify Government and this is subject to thorough assessment by the national security community. The Procurement Bill will also provide powers for the Government to exclude and debar companies from public procurement where the Government assesses there to be an intolerable national security risk. Additionally, the Government has taken specific action regarding devices on the Government estate. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster published a Written Ministerial Statement in November 2022 detailing instructions for departments to disconnect such surveillance equipment from core departmental networks, where it had been produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of China. Government departments have been implementing these policies along with other protective security controls and will not hesitate to take further action if necessary. The Cabinet Office keeps the security issues associated with internet facing technology/components under close review as part of its overall approach to security, and in line with GSG, NPSA and NCSC guidance.

Subversion

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government's definition is of foreign interference.

Jeremy Quin: The Government defines Foreign Interference as activity conducted on behalf of a foreign state that undermines UK interests through actions which are either corruptive, deceptive, coercive or criminal.

Women and Equalities

Equal Pay: Ethnic Groups

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent steps she has taken to help close the ethnicity employment gap.

Maria Caulfield: The ethnic minority employment rate is at a record high of 69.4 per cent. This is an increase of 1.1 percentage points on the previous year, and 3 percentage points above the pre-COVID rate (Jan-Mar 2019). There are now 4.9 million ethnic minority workers in employment in the United Kingdom. This is an increase of 391,000 on the previous year and is also a record high. We want everyone to be able to find a job, progress in work and thrive in the labour market, whoever they are and wherever they live. For example, we are working with over 85 of the country's most influential employers through the Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network to widen participation in apprenticeships particularly for people from disadvantaged backgrounds and under-represented groups, including ethnic minorities. We published Inclusive Britain in March 2022, our groundbreaking strategy to tackle negative ethnic disparities, promote unity and build a fairer Britain for all. Our update report to Parliament on 17 April set out the excellent progress we have made so far in delivering this strategy. This includes launching an Inclusion at Work Panel to tackle bias and ensure fairness, and publishing new guidance for employers on how to use positive action in the workplace and to report on ethnicity pay gaps.

Equal Pay

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government plans to take to close the (a) gender, (b) ethnicity and (c) disability pay gaps.

Maria Caulfield: I refer the Hon. Member to my response to question UIN 193821.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Staff

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the provision of housing for NHS staff (a) nationally and (b) in York; and if he will take steps to provide housing for NHS staff in (a) England and (b) areas with low recruitment and retention.

Will Quince: Local National Health Service organisations are responsible for determining the appropriate use of their NHS estate, including for key worker accommodation.We recognise the importance of ensuring the availability of high-quality, affordable accommodation to NHS staff. We are working closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to explore how we can best support NHS trusts to deliver key worker accommodation where it is needed. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lord Markham) will lead a joint taskforce with the Minister of State for Housing (Rachel Maclean MP) to work through the barriers identified in a recently published paper on key worker accommodation by the NHS Homes Alliance, and to support the NHS to streamline delivery.NHS staff also have access to the national First Homes scheme, established in 2021, which enables key workers to purchase homes at a discount to the market value on new housing sites, paid for by developer contributions.

Smart Devices: China

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department is taking steps to monitor the potential threat posed by Chinese-made cellular internet of things modules to the NHS.

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the (a) prevalence of the use and (b) reliance on the supply of Chinese-made cellular internet of things modules in the NHS.

Will Quince: The United Kingdom takes its national security extremely seriously and has taken robust action to secure its critical infrastructure and resilience. The National Security and Investment Act allows the Government to intervene where foreign direct investment is targeted at innovative UK companies. Where such investment is within critical sectors, it is mandatory to notify Government, and this is subject to thorough assessment by the national security community. The Procurement Bill will also provide powers for the Government to exclude and debar companies from public procurement where the Government assesses there to be an intolerable national security risk.   Additionally, the Government has taken specific action on Chinese-made devices on the Government estate. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster published a Written Ministerial Statement in November 2022 detailing instructions for Departments to disconnect such surveillance equipment from core Departmental networks, where it had been produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of China. Government Departments have been implementing these policies, along with other protective security controls, and will not hesitate to take further action if necessary.The Department keeps the security issues associated with internet facing technology and components under close review as part of its overall approach to security, and in line with Government Security Group, National Protective Security Authority and National Cyber Security Centre guidance.

Department of Health and Social Care: Staff

Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many officials were working in his Department on (a) the date of the appointment and (b) 18 July 2023.

Will Quince: On 31 October 2022, the total number of civil servants employed within the core Department (excluding Arm’s Length Bodies) was 3,978. As of 18 July 2023, the total number of civil servants employed by the Department was 3,316.Please note that these figures do not show the full establishment workforce of the Department in line with published figures on GOV.UK. Contingent Labour, secondments in, Fast Streamers and vacancies are not included.

Treasury

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Bob Blackman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department (a) forecasted would be spent and (b) spent on compensation for Equitable Life policyholders at 2011 prices in each financial year since 2011.

Andrew Griffith: The Government allocated £1.5 billion to the Equitable Life Payment Scheme. Before it ceased operations in 2016, the Scheme issued £1.12 billion in tax-free payments to nearly 933,000 policyholders. The remainder of the £1.5 billion has been set aside for future payments to the With-Profits Annuitants. Further information is available in the Final Report on the Scheme (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equitable-life-payment-scheme-final-report).

Cryptocurrencies: Regulation

Apsana Begum: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to give the Financial Conduct Authority further powers to regulate crypto-related companies.

Andrew Griffith: HMT published a public consultation on 1 February 2023 on the ‘Future financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets’, outlining how the Government will set the regulatory perimeter for the FCA to make rules regulating crypto-related companies. Under these proposals, firms providing cryptoasset services would need to become FCA authorised and meet a range of new requirements, including (for example) prudential, data reporting, consumer protection, location policy and operational resilience requirements.

Credit

Catherine West: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of access to lower cost credit through (a) credit unions, (b) Community Development Finance Institution and (c) other community lenders.

Andrew Griffith: The government believes that credit, when provided responsibly and affordably, can be a useful financial tool to smooth income and manage unexpected costs, and that there is a strong case for building the provision of such credit, particularly for underserved groups. The government is committed to taking steps to widen access to affordable credit, including by credit unions and community development finance institutions (CDFIs), and is overseeing a number of initiatives to support this goal. Since 2019, the government has made £100 million of dormant assets funding available to Fair4All Finance to support their work on financial inclusion, and an additional £45 million for initiatives to tackle the elevated cost of living. This includes a package of tailored support to sustainably supporting the resilience of the credit union and CDFI sectors and scale affordable credit to serve people in vulnerable circumstances. The government has provided Fair4AllFinance with £3.8m of funding to pilot a No-interest Loans Scheme, designed for consumers in vulnerable circumstances who would benefit from affordable rather than high-cost credit. Fair4All Finance are partnering with a range of lenders to deliver this pilot, including community lenders. As part of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023, the government has also amended existing legislation so that credit unions in Great Britain can offer a wider range of products and services. This will help allow credit unions to grow sustainably and support their role as providers of affordable consumer credit.

Smart Devices: China

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is taking steps to monitor the potential threat posed by Chinese-made cellular internet of things modules on finance infrastructure.

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will make an assessment of the (a) prevalence of the use and (b) reliance on the supply of Chinese-made cellular internet of things modules in the UK's finance infrastructure.

Andrew Griffith: The UK takes its national security extremely seriously, including the security of its critical infrastructure and all sectors of the economy. We encourage all organisations to follow National Cyber Security Centre and National Protective Security Authority supply chain security guidance when selecting a technology supplier. This guidance sets out the considerations that organisations should be making during the procurement process. For the finance sector, the Bank of England, the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority have set clear expectations for how regulated firms should manage the risk posed by third parties.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Carbon Emissions: Temperature

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 12 July 2023 to Question 192282 on Carbon Emissions: Temperature, what estimate has he made of the contribution of UK emission reduction measures on global temperatures.

Graham Stuart: The UK was the first major economy to legislate to end its contribution to global warming by 2050. The Climate Change Committee stated that this is in line with the Paris Agreement temperature goal. Given the UK's leading development of global low carbon technologies, the impact of the UK's actions reach beyond its own emissions.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many mandatory reconsiderations were lodged by PIP claimants in each year since 2017; and how many and what proportion of these challenges were successful.

Tom Pursglove: The number of PIP mandatory reconsiderations registered, and the number and proportion of mandatory reconsiderations that were successful, is available on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. In particular, you may be interested in the ‘PIP MR Registrations’ and ‘PIP MR Clearances’ tables. These tables can be broken down by month and ‘PIP MR clearances’ can be broken down by ‘MR decision’. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.

Attorney General

Gender Based Violence: Convictions

Jim Shannon: To ask the Attorney General, what steps he is taking to improve the conviction rate for cases relating to violence against women and girls.

Michael Tomlinson: Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) remains one of this government’s top priorities.  The CPS has already undertaken significant work on rape and domestic abuse (DA) designed to improve the investigation and prosecution of these offences. Last month the new national operating model for adult rape was launched, which focuses on building stronger cases at an earlier stage, through joint working with police. Increases in specialist RASSO workforce will further support the prosecution of these crimes. A new VAWG strategy for 2023-2025 is being developed for publication later this year. This will create a framework to address the challenges of these crimes across the criminal justice system. Since our significant investment in improving the handling of rape cases, not least through the Joint National Action Plan (JNAP), the national operating model and the publication of the Rape Review in 2021, more cases are getting to court.